Tell your Members of Congress to support our rights to protest!

The right to protest and to speak out has always been at the center of our American democracy. The First Amendment guarantees our rights to free speech, press, and assembly. But others use their power to try to take those rights away from people with whom they disagree. Some people in power and some corporations have devised an abusive tactic to sidestep the First Amendment and shut down their critics.

SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) are legal tactics designed to silence protestors, journalists, and others exercising their right to free speech on matters of public concern. Anyone can be a target: a group of citizens trying to stop a development in their community; a sexual assault survivor speaking out about abuse at the hands of a high-profile individual; a consumer who raises the alarm about a dangerous or defective product.

The Free Speech Protection Act has been sponsored in the House (H.R.10310) by U.S. Reps. Jamie Raskin (D, Maryland) and Kevin Kiley (R, California) and the Senate by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (S.5438). The bill would protect targets of SLAPP lawsuits and establish new rules to bring the scales of justice back into balance.

Take action today to tell your Members of Congress to support and co-sponsor the "the Free Speech Protection Act" (H.R.10310) and (S.5438).